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SEIA is the solar energy industry’s go-to source for the latest coverage on solar power, including U.S. and international policy, research and polls, business and financing trends, and more. Our staff strives to support the media covering solar energy issues and guide our members on effective media outreach with clear statements, background materials, news and multimedia resources.

SEIA is committed to informing policymakers, the media, and the American public about the benefits of solar energy for today’s communities, our economy, and our country.

Jigar Shah, one of the today’s leading cleantech champions, will keynote the Summit on Creating Prosperity and Opportunity Confronting Climate Change on February 18 at Vermont Technical College in Randolph. Shah founded and is former CEO of SunEdison where he pioneered “no money down solar” and unlocked a multi-billion-dollar solar market, creating the world’s largest solar services company.

Calling it an “enormous success,” Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), said SEIA’s 2nd annual “Shout Out for Solar” Day, which took place last Friday on social media venues including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, set impressive new records for the organization’s communications team.

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) today announced the end of the successful Commonwealth Solar II program, which will have provided rebates for more than 13,000 solar electric systems at homes, public buildings, and small businesses across the Commonwealth since 2010.

In a move toward clarifying the tax code, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced that clarification of sales tax treatment for solar energy will be included in his budget proposal being sent to the state legislature. After reviewing the proposal, Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), issued the following statement:

WASHINGTON, DC - As expected, the U.S. International Trade Commission today upheld the imposition of tariffs against Chinese and Taiwanese solar products, as part of a 2014 investigation into allegations of unfair trade practices. After the decision was announced, Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) released the following statement:

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Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), released the following statement today in response to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s final determinations against crystalline silicon solar products from China and Taiwan:

Continuing its strong solar progress, North Carolina installed 95 megawatts (MW) of solar PV in Q3, more than all the solar installed in the state in 2010 and 2011 combined and enough to rank the state 3rd nationwide for added capacity, according to the new quarterly report from GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). The Solar Market Insight Report found Q3 2014 represented a 172 percent increase over the previous quarter for North Carolina.

Demonstrating continued support for clean, renewable energy, residential solar installations in Colorado in Q3 were up more than 30 percent over the same period last year, according to the new quarterly report from GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

In another step forward for clean, renewable solar energy, the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) has approved raising the net energy metering (NEM) cap from 3 percent to 6 percent for all utilities. At the same meeting, the PSC announced plans to advance Community Shared Renewables, an innovative concept that could enable renters and millions of other New York energy consumers to go solar for the first time.

WASHINGTON – Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), released the following statement today after a group of prominent U.S. Senators came out in strong support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan:

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When Donnie and Michelle Holsworth bought a three-bedroom house here in October from builder Lennar Corp. , they got more than a home. The purchase included 20 years of cut-rate electricity powered by a Lennar-owned solar system on the roof.

The energy storage system that Imergy is contributing to the Navy’s microgrid project consists of three shippable vanadium flow batteries it calls the ESP30. Imergy introduced ESP30 earlier this fall as a next-generation enhancement of its earlier technology. It has a capacity of up to 50 kilowatts and stores up to 200 kilowatt-hours.

Chinese manufacturer Hanwha SolarOne has announced plans to build a $12 million module facility in South Korea. The plant is scheduled to begin production in Q2 2015 and will have a capacity of 230 MW.

Late last month, the Topaz Solar project achieved full commercial operation with the completion of its final 40-megawatt (AC) phase. This is the first 500-megawatt plus solar farm to come on-line in the U.S. and the largest solar plant on-line in the world.

At a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East – coupled with rising gasoline prices across the United States – there is finally some good news on the energy front. America’s solar energy industry is currently on pace to achieve a record-shattering year.

President Obama’s recent decision to install solar panels atop the White House is just the latest example of his strong commitment to U.S. leadership in solar energy and the jobs it will create here at home.
The member companies of the Solar Energy Industries Association strongly share that commitment. Covering every aspect of the solar pipeline, they employ more than 120,000 Americans – providing savings for homeowners, power for our military and a cleaner world for future generations.

All across the United States, rooftop solar panels are popping up on homes, businesses and schools like mushrooms in a forest, and utility-scale solar projects are bringing huge amounts of clean energy into our communities. Why? Well, among other things, consumer choice in America is something that we all hold very sacred.

The U.S. solar industry is booming. "U.S. [Residential] Installation Frequency Hits One Every Four Minutes," according to a recent article in PV-tech.org. That puts the US residential solar industry on track to install 128,000 systems in 2013, according to GTM Research (Q213). We have come a long way since 2007 when I sold the first residential solar power purchase agreement to a homeowner in Redwood City, CA.

When the U.S. Department of Energy held its first Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in 2002, Americans were growing nervous about energy issues for the first time in decades. Natural gas prices had skyrocketed, California had just recovered from rolling blackouts, and the events of 9/11 and our continued dependence on foreign energy sources were at the foreground in our minds.

Every day, I talk to groups and reporters about the amazing growth of solar all across the United States. But for the past week, there has been more buzz than ever about America’s solar industry because of the decision by President Obama to install solar panels on the White House.

Solar power is one of the cleanest, safest, and most abundant domestic energy sources available. In addition to helping power our homes, schools, and businesses, the U.S. solar industry strives to be a leader in sustainability among energy producers by ensuring environmental and social responsibility along the entire solar supply chain.

August 14, 2003, was a dark day in U.S. history – in a lot of different ways.
It started off as a quiet Thursday. Then a single tree limb in Ohio came crashing down, touching off a power outage which cascaded across eight states and parts of Canada, leaving 50 million Americans in the Northeast in the dark. Commuters were stranded. Businesses closed. People sweltered in the heat. And the U.S. economy took a huge beating, losing an estimated $10 billion.

I’m looking forward to speaking at Senator Reid’s National Clean Energy Summit next week in Las Vegas. I’ll be on the “21st Century Energy Market” panel where we’ll address what can be done to make the grid friendlier to renewables while ensuring long-term access to affordable and reliable electricity.